


in this corner!

by roswhelp



Category: HLVRAI- FANDOM, Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Announcer Tommy, Black Mesa Underground Boxing Ring, M/M, Other, References to Medical Transitioning, References to Surgery, coomer is trans because i am trans so we are trans thank u holly, g-man can be a good father it just takes a bit of hard work, g-man has a cruuuuuuuush ooooooooh, i will CAPTAIN THIS SHIP MYSELF GODDAMN IT, references to medical procedures, references to top surgery, this is like... pre-pre-pre relationship but i think it still counts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25701091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roswhelp/pseuds/roswhelp
Summary: G-Man watches. G-Man observes. Why should this be different in the audience of an underground boxing ring run by the most brilliant minds on Earth? And why should it be different if he observes a certain duo of scientists a bit more than the others?
Relationships: Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life), Bubby/Dr. Coomer/The G-Man (Half-Life), Bubby/The G-Man (Half-Life), Dr. Coomer/The G-Man (Half-Life)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 103





	in this corner!

**Author's Note:**

> this is just some stuff to get the tag started. listen. let the science grandpas date. it's funny and a really interesting dynamic.

A man’s routine says a lot about his outlook on the world. G-Man had learned this while observing his potential candidates for employment, and now knew how to sort the wheat from the chaff quite easily by just watching a person go about their day. This was shaken by one man and one man alone: Doctor Harold P. Coomer, PhD. Someone as eccentric as the doctor was expected to live a much more exciting day-to-day life, but G-Man was continuously proven wrong by this anomaly of a man. He… observed him about once every month, watching from afar, and found his activities consistently boring. He would wake up early, make himself breakfast (usually brown sugar oatmeal or a smoothie), go to the Black Mesa exercise facility for an hour, come back and shower, then head straight to work. Afterwards, he would come home, make himself dinner and read Wikipedia articles until he fell asleep. 

Every day except Fridays, that is. “E-esteemed guests, welcome back to the Black Mesa Underground… Underground Boxing Ring!” A voice boomed over the crowd as Tommy spoke into the microphone. How his teenage son got roped into all this, G-Man still couldn’t fully understand, but he respected his interest. This may have contributed to the fact that the very much uncondoned event was never discovered by the higher-ups, but well. Every father should do what they can to support their son. “Tonight we see the return of- the long awaited return of your champ… champion, Doctor Coomer!” The crowd exploded in cheers.

The doctor had been missing from his usual place in the ring for about a month now. When G-Man had dropped into his dorm, he saw that he was in recovery from some medical procedure, and on leave from both work and his usual activities. He had spent most of the time in an extremely baggy zip-up hoodie, groggy and easily upset. He could barely lift a gallon of milk for a few days, forcing G-Man to… intervene. Not overtly. Just a nudge here or there, a load of laundry done while Coomer was passed out on pain medication, a contact within biological research that could help speedy recovery, and a well-placed mistake call to Doctor Bubby leading to him bursting through the door, angry at Harold for not asking for help sooner. 

Not done out of any form of human kindness. Purely transactional. How could one of Black Mesa’s most promising waste disposal experts continue his work if he wasn’t able to heal correctly? From what he wasn’t entirely sure, but it was most likely inconsequential if he hadn’t already been notified. 

Now, Doctor Coomer was walking to the center of the ring, hood raised over his head and hands stuffed in his pockets. Tommy stood next to him with a smile. The crowd, however, began to quiet. Something about him seemed reserved, a bit off tonight. Anticipation built as he rolled his shoulders back in silence. The tension built, and even Tommy’s smile began to drop. “Are you- is everything okay, Mr… Doctor Coomer?” he asked. Coomer looked down at Tommy, stretching his arms out in front of him. Then he flexed, ripping his robe to shreds. 

“Excellent news, Tommy! The cybernetics department replaced my hormones!” He responded with a goofy grin. The crowd went buckwild in response, Tommy joining them while Coomer posed jokingly. 

The first thing you would notice about Doctor Coomer’s new appearance was his arms. Still large and well toned, like before, but now a heather grey metal, with horizontal lines going up to the shoulders emitting a slight green glow. Normally he would wear a sports bra and a tight tank top while in the ring. Not today, apparently. For the first time, Coomer’s chest was bare to the audience, and well! It was. Rather nice to look at, G-Man found. He sported relatively fresh purple scars under his pecs and an upside down t shape on his stomach, wearing them with such pride G-Man couldn’t help but observe a bit more intensely than usual. 

“As for the arms, well… Would anyone in the audience be willing to let me try them out?”  
Coomer asked into the microphone. Tommy’s face lit up with glee as he gestured out to the audience. 

“Well, is there anyone- who wants to…” Tommy began before being cut off by a man yelling “Dibs!” from the crowd and climbing over the ropes. 

“Ah! Doctor Bubby! Excellent, as I believe we have unfinished business in the ring anyhow!” Coomer said, grabbing his hand and shaking it excitedly. 

“You’re goddamn right we do. You know I’m just going to beat you again, right?” Bubby responded with a smirk. The audience booed while Coomer laughed. 

Bubby was something of a heel in the circuit, as the “Ultimate Lifeform” was responsible for most of the injuries boxers received in the ring. Coomer was still willing to fight him, of course, but he wasn’t exactly one to back down from a challenge. Bubby took off his lab coat to reveal his usual fighting uniform, shorts and a black jersey reading “Bubby Is Best” across the back. Tommy put himself between the two and began speaking. “Now I want a good- a safe and clean fight! No… N-no blows below the waist or random bursts of flame!” He looked at Bubby at the last remark. “Please. Now get to your corners- put… put on your gloves first, obviously, but then… then come out fighting!” He said, gesturing to the ref to prep the clock. He jumped out of the ring excitedly, prepared to commentate the fight from the sidelines. A bell rang, and both men stepped forward and began circling each other. “Okay folks, it’s the fight of the centur-” Tommy was interrupted as Coomer’s arms extended from his shoulders, reaching over and picking Bubby up by the ankles. 

Ah. So that is why the surgery was thanks to the cybernetics department. 

Perhaps G-Man should thank them on their work.


End file.
